What We Pay: Police, fire working to curb overtime costs

Jan. 26, 2013

Stevens Point firefighter/paramedic Mark Kitowski works out in the basement of the Stevens Point Fire Department on Friday. The department started a fitness program as a way to help reduce injuries and improve employee health, which leads to a reduction in medical leave and a reduction in department overtime. / B.C. Kowalski/Stevens Point Journal Media

Online exclusiveWatch Mark Kitowski, a firefighter/paramedic with the Stevens Point Fire Department discuss his job at www.stevenspointjournal.com. While there, start your full digital access by clicking on the “Activate” button at the top right of the screen and following the instructions.

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In 2011, Stevens Point needed to make up an almost $1.5 million shortfall in its 2012 budget.

That led to scrutiny of city spending, which revealed a problem in the fire department — it was vastly exceeding its overtime budget.

The department, which budgeted for $95,000 in 2011, was well on its way to spending double that amount as city officials looked for ways to cut costs.

That changed in 2012, with the department only spending $87,678 of its $105,000 allotted for overtime.

Stevens Point Fire Chief Tracey Kujawa said some changes in the department’s staffing along with a renewed focus on safety are some of the possible reasons the department has gotten the budget under control.

“It’s a cultural change,” Kujawa said. “We’re trying to influence people to keep in mind their safety and the safety of the community.”

That includes a safety committee that looks for ways to help keep firefighter/paramedics safe themselves while they save lives.

That also includes the introduction of a new safety program through Ministry Health Care Sports Medicine. Kujawa estimates the program costs the department between $4,000 and $4,500 per year.

Stevens Point hopes the upfront costs can help avoid more costly worker compensation claims.

The program, which includes fitness items such as strength training and flexibility as well as diet and nutrition training, also means healthier firefighters that can have longer, more injury-free careers, Kujawa said.

The city’s Police Department also is conscious of its overtime usage. The department exceeded its overtime budget in 2010 by almost $20,000 before getting it under control in 2011 and 2012.

Stevens Point Police Chief Kevin Ruder said overtime is something the department is vigilant toward avoiding and has taken steps to reduce that overtime. Those steps include shifting the responsibility for security for events to organizers and employing the city’s new auxiliary police for tasks such as traffic and crowd control.

“We do monthly reviews to make sure that the overtime we’re using is what we actually need,” Ruder said.

The city as a whole paid about $426,000 in overtime in 2011, based on salary data for employees paid $25,000 or more. That was the 38th-highest total among the 91 Wisconsin municipalities with a population of 10,000 or more.

The overtime data gathered by Gannett Wisconsin Media might include other bonuses for items such as longevity and shift differential.

Milwaukee had the most with almost $25 million in overtime, and Madison was a close second with $19 million. The lowest was the town of Lisbon, which paid out more than $11,000 in overtime. Mequon did not provide overtime data.